


Marsy's Unsymptober 2020 collection!

by RomanoCheesy



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Bone Mention, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Being an Idiot, Hostage Situations, Hypnotism, I wouldn't do that, Implied/Referenced Torture, Janus gets turned into a doll, Luggage, Mind Control, Organs, Packing, Physical Abuse, Repression, Running Away, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Isolation, Sprites, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, Transformation, Trauma, Undressing, Unsympathetic Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Unsympathetic Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Unsympathetic Morality | Patton Sanders, Will update the tags as we go, badly written hypnotism, being unable to fight back, but it's not explicit, detailed description of injury, dislocation, doll - Freeform, grass, jarred joints, misplaced morals, speech being taken away, sprained ankle, unsymptober
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:40:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanoCheesy/pseuds/RomanoCheesy
Summary: As it says in the title, unsymptober sanders sides edition. This'll get dark, but I'll update the tags every time a new chapter comes out.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 34





	1. Unsympathetic Patton

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: unsympathetic Patton
> 
> Triggers: implied torture, implied torture, trauma, let me know if I've missed something.
> 
> Summary: Patton just wants Thomas to be a good person!

Patton had hoped the others wouldn’t cause trouble, or wander out of their territory. Virgil was unexpected, to say the least, but he was probably the most convenient to make himself known. He was easy to deal with, similar to Roman in a lot of aspects, meaning making him good wasn’t hard. Besides, it was good for his dark, strange son to be with the light sides! They were a better influence than the others, and Virgil even made friends with them. The others, however, were more difficult. He wouldn’t call Remus evil, but the duke wasn’t good. Thomas couldn’t be a good person when he was thinking those thoughts, after all. And Janus? Patton never thought of himself as a very judgy guy, but Janus was evil. He lied all the time, and lying was bad. A dishonest person could never be a good person, that’s what he was taught, that’s what was right. How he had been taught had worked on Virgil, with the setting a constant example of what is good behaviour and the occasional punishment where it was deserved. And just look at him now, he was so good now! That hadn’t really worked on the others, though, they had picked up on a few things but mostly, they stayed the same in how they acted and spoke. So now he was in his room, cuddling one of his stuffed toys and trying to figure out how he should do this. He didn’t really know much about them, so that made things a bit harder. But he did know Janus was really the only one Remus would listen to and obey. So if he could somehow get Janus to listen to a little cue or something when the duke was acting up and tell him to calm down, that would work. Except, nothing scared Janus. Nothing even bothered him, or at least if it did, he was good at making sure no one knew. The snake was protective of his things, but that seemed to be more like how Roman was protective of his sword. He preferred no one to touch it except him, but it being taken away wasn’t a punishment. He could live without his things. So the question was, what couldn’t he live without? He really didn’t want to do anything too violent. 

Patton did not consider himself the type to wrongfully punish anyone. Which was why he knew he was doing the right thing as he felt the little hand-bell in his pocket. He figured a bell would make sense, it was a sound that anyone could make out as a bell, and it was small and concealable. He turned the tap off, seeing his basin was full enough for what he wanted to do. Now he just had to bring Janus into the ensuite and everything would be ready. He headed to the side’s room with a spring in his step, knowing that soon there wouldn’t be anything stopping Thomas from being a good person. He knocked a little tune on the dark-coloured door, noticing the little gold patterns on the frame. It looked like something Roman would like. The door opened, and Janus stood there, just as he hoped. He wasn’t in his usual costume, instead wearing a yellow button-down. His gloves were still on, though. 

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Patton?” he said with a smile. Although if he was honest, he wasn’t sure if it was actually a smile or just the way his mouth on his snake-half looked. 

“I just wanted to talk to you! Would’ja mind coming to my room for a chat?” Patton said, placing a large smile on his face. He was the fun-loving father figure figment, after all. Janus seemed a bit shocked by the request. 

“Oh. I suppose.” he said, straightening his black bowtie and looking away. He opened the door fully and stepped out. “Lead the way.” he said, motioning with his hands for Patton to start moving again. The two sides walked through the hall back to Patton’s room, and he smiled to himself at how easy it was to get Janus to follow him. The entered the light blue door and he shut it after himself, making sure to not be obvious as he locked it. 

“What was it you needed to talk about?” Janus asked, turning around to face him. 

“I wanted to show you something in the bathroom,” he replied. 

“Alright? Definitely not an odd request.” the snake said with a confused look on his face. Patton bounded toward the other door, motioning for Janus to follow him, which he did. Once more, he locked the door once the two were inside. 

“Alright, we’re here. What now?” he asked, looking around the tiled room. 

“I’m just gonna teach you something, k?” the father figure said with a smile, reaching into his pocket and grabbing the silky scarf he had prepared for this. He figured Janus would try to fight him, and that wouldn’t be good. He was doing this to help, this was the right thing to do. 

“What do you mean? Patton, what are you doing? This isn’t funny, Patton, honest! Stop it, that hurts! Patton!” 

Patton knew he had done the right thing. Of course he did, he was morality, after all! He carried his little bell around with him everywhere now, after seeing his lessons had been successful. Janus was being more honest, and stepped in when Remus started rambling, and all Patton had to do was ring a little bell. He was perfect now. Patton was proud of himself, he had done a good job and the others were sure to be happy! Right? Right. Of course they were, he had done the right thing. At least, he thought he did. Until a month after the first lesson. He was enjoying a peaceful afternoon, reading a picture book with a plate of cookies, when the twins walked in, with Janus following behind, his eyes trained on the floor. 

“Greetings, padre! Mind if we ask you something concerning Jekyll and Lied?” Roman asked. Patton looked up from his book and offered a smile. 

“Sure, kiddo! What’s on your mind?” he asked cheerfully. He hoped Janus hadn’t told about what happened and tried to make him sound bad, he wasn’t bad. 

“Splendid. Uh, Remus, if you don’t mind?” Roman nudged his twin, who seemed lost in his thoughts. 

“Right! So double-dee’s been acting weird, especially when he hears a certain sound and we were wondering if you’ve got any idea what’s up.” the duke asked, although it was more of a ramble than a question. Patton could feel his smile dropping, but he held it up anyways. They hadn’t been told. 

“What sound’s that?” he asked. He wasn’t dodging the question, just seeing what else the twins knew. 

“A bell, oddly enough. A small one.” Roman answered, and at the mention of a bell, Janus seemed all the more awkward, with an expression that looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. 

“I can’t say I noticed anything weird with him, sorry!” Patton answered with a laugh. Looking at the expressions on the twins’ faces, though, it looked like now wasn’t the best time to laugh. 

“So you don’t know why he’s suddenly afraid of water?” Remus asked, getting more jittery. 

“He was probably always afraid, he’s just good at hiding things!” he suggested cheerfully. If he wasn’t happy all of a sudden, that might seem suspicious, he had learned. 

“No. I know double-dee, and I know water’s not one of his fears and if I didn’t know any better I’d say someone’s been using the stuff to torture him into submission!” the duke rambled, beginning to storm over. With him this close, it was harder, but Patton managed to pull the bell out of his back pocket and give it a quick ring, making it look like he was stretching. His smile turned genuine again as Janus rushed over and grabbed the duke’s arm, his expression almost scared. 

“Calm down, Remus. It isn’t worth it.” he said, holding the duke back. It was always nice to see his lessons paid off. The duke’s heavy breathing started to calm down again and he stepped back, grabbing hold of the snake’s gloved hand. Patton was genuinely happy for a few moments, until he heard a voice come from behind him. 

“Interesting. Do you always have that with you?” Logan asked. Patton turned around in a hurry, his blood running cold as he saw the logical side step out of the doorway, continuing. 

“Or do you just have that bell with you when it suits you? Furthermore, I find it curious that you would try to hide such a fact, as if you have something to do with Janus’ behaviours. Care to explain yourself, Patton?” he asked, each statement hitting like a punch to the face, but with words. He knew whatever he said after that would make him sound bad, and it looked like Logan knew it too. 

“I did it to help him! He’s a good person now!” he said, his smile finally faltering. 

“You traumatised him is what you did! Virgil would agree, Logan would agree, everyone here would agree!” the duke yelled, holding himself back. 

“There’s my cue to join in.” Virgil’s voice came from the doorway, as if he had been standing there the whole time, waiting for this moment. 

“Virge! You believe me, don’t you?” Patton asked, almost forcing himself to keep smiling at this point. Virgil stood up properly and put his hands in his pockets. 

“Sorry, pop-star. I gotta go with the others on this one. You went too far.” he said, looking over at the duke. 

“Well why don’t we ask Janus what he thinks?” Patton suggested, his hand instinctively gripping his bell. 

“Good idea!” the duke said louder than he needed too, charging and snatching the bell. He threw it on the ground and stomped on it, breaking it. “Janus, what do you think?” he asked. The snake looked at the broken bell, then at Patton, then at the duke. 

“I think-” he stopped himself before going much further with the statement. Roman held his hand and gave him a smile and a nod. “I think he had good intentions, but the ends do not always justify the means.” he said, similarly to how Virgil spoke when he revealed his name. 

“That’s Jan-speak for no it wasn’t a good thing to do.” Remus said, standing on the other side of him and grabbing his other hand. 

“I apologise, Patton. But this time, you were wrong.” Logan stated. He was wrong. He was morality, and he was wrong. He was a bad person. Everything he had done this for, all of it, was a lie. And he knew a certain liar who would be punished for such dishonesty. 


	2. Kneel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: kneel
> 
> Triggers: hostage situation, the belief that no one loves you, death threats
> 
> Summary: Roman knows he's not wanted, so he leaves.

Roman was the prince, he was royalty. He was above everyone else in status, he was heroic and noble. He always strived for perfection, and shared only his very best ideas. Then the most recent video had happened, and he had been made fully, painfully aware that he wasn’t the hero he strived to be. In fact, he was becoming the villain. He only wanted to be perfect, so if he could not become the perfect hero, he would have to do something he seemed to be good at. So he had locked his door and let no one into his room, if anyone saw what he was thinking, they would no doubt try to stop them. And he knew all too well that they would be doing so for their own consciences. 

Roman had locked himself in the imagination, he wanted no one to follow him. The imagination often reflected his current mood, so it made no sense that the sky was a marble of blues and purples. He wasn’t sad with his decision, and he most certainly wasn’t scared, that was preposterous. He was feeling confident and happy, and as such, it should be a proud gold. But for some reason, it wasn’t, and it had not even shifted to a confused plethora of colours, swirling around like water-marbling. But no, it remained purple and blue. He paced the hill, thinking of an idea of what to create to spend his time in, where he would not be disturbed. A cozy little cottage in his forest would be pleasant, but it was far too easy for someone to come on over and drag him back to the conscious part of Thomas’ mind. A castle would be nice, and it would fit his status, and he could certainly fill it with guards to keep people out and maybe a few servants to keep him company, but that just felt forced. A cell would keep everyone out for sure, but that would be so boring and not to mention, it was a cell. Then he had an idea. He could match his longing for a castle and keep everyone away by building a fortress, with a tall tower he could seclude himself in if he felt the need, which he did. So with that final decision, he found himself running deep into the forest to find the perfect spot, which he found after two hours of non-stop running. He stopped to take a break, and found himself in a large clearing. It wasn’t an open field but it would do. So he stepped back and closed his eyes, imagining his castle. He planned out every detail of it, down to the sconces on the walls and the carpets on the floors, and imagined some guards for good measure. As he was sure he was finished, he opened his eyes again and examined his hard work. Every detail was just how he had envisioned it, and he took a step toward it, reaching out a hand to touch the wall to make sure it was solid. The stone was smooth and real, and he entered his new castle, noticing the guards were there successfully as well, kneeling as he walked past. He gave them a nod and entered his creation, the guards closing and locking the large wooden doors after him. Having created the castle himself, he knew exactly which hallways to travel through. He climbed the stairs, each one sliding back into the wall as he ascended, just how he had designed them. They wouldn’t slide back out no matter who stepped toward them. It took a fair amount of time, but he eventually reached the top, locking the wooden trapdoor and sliding the key down his throat, swallowing it with a loud gulp. He was taking no chances. The room he had prepared for himself was not too dramatic, but still grand and comfortable. He sat at the window and looked out at his view, which was a bit more interesting than he had expected, but by no means something one would pay millions for. He could see his guards changing posts, the forest spreading in all directions, and a vast mountain range with a figure flying from them. The dragon-witch, no doubt. Ever since the valentine’s day video, she mostly left him alone in the imagination, unless she desperately needed something or saw fit for a chance to try to intimidate him. She had given up on Remus. Her large, scaly form grew closer as she flew toward his new tower, although he was not surprised. It was common knowledge that Roman often used towers when questing, and sometimes she wanted to join in, especially when one of the others was in the tower. She soon swooped over, circling the tower a few times before landing on it, looking in through the window. Normally, Roman would have been scared. This time, he wasn’t. 

“Well, isn’t this a surprise! The Prince himself, and locked in a tower. Tell me, who is it coming to rescue you?” she asked with an amused grin. 

“No one is coming.” he replied, puffing out his chest. He was still the same prince, right? 

“Don’t be silly, someone always comes. Now tell me quickly, or I might just have an early lunch.” she said, her tone still laced with amusement as she eyed her new prey. 

“Please don’t eat me.” he pleaded, looking into her predatory eyes. 

“Oh? But you are unarmed, and you have nowhere to go. So nothing will stop me from gobbling you up in two bites.” she said, flashing him her wicked teeth, a shimmery purple mist drifting out of her maw. Roman knew that he may not be needed by the others, but he was still creativity. Remus could not do the job completely alone. Roman still had to contribute, but he would be more appreciated if he physically stayed out of things and contributed from his realm. 

“Please, Arinthia. Please don’t kill me.” he said, hoping his begging would do something. What it seemed to do was amuse her. 

“Kneel for me, little prince, and beg.” she said, licking her lips. He knew the dragon witch, and what she was capable of. So he got down on his knees and laced his fingers together. 

“Please spare me, Arinthia, great one. I beg you.” he pleaded, hating that she actually scared him. She seemed to accept this, and nodded. 

“Very well, you may live for now.” she said, climbing along the building to find a comfortable position. He got himself up off the floor and sat at the window again, resting his arms and chin on the sill. He supposed if there was anyone who could keep the others out, it was the dragon witch. It was just a shame he was now technically a hostage. She glanced up at him with a lazy smile, then closed her eyes again, seemingly content that she was fully in control of the situation. He supposed he was also content with how this had all panned out, so he summoned a parchment and quill, and began writing an idea. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day two of unsymptober, and we're still going strong! I hope you all enjoyed the second update to the saga! 
> 
> I should also say thank you so much for your feedback on day one, I wasn't sure about it but it makes me so happy to know that you guys liked it! 
> 
> \- Marsy


	3. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: choices
> 
> Triggers: organs
> 
> Summary: Logan has to pack

Logan had a long trip to pack for, and as such, he had a lot to pack. Now, he was a very logic-oriented man, and one would think he could do it without much struggle. But that was not the case. The case was on the floor, empty, and waiting to be packed. He had a lot of things he wanted to bring, but he also had to be able to close the bulky suitcase. Thus far, he had packed a few of his favourite clothes that he wore all the time, and his tie collection. Although, now that he thought about it, maybe he shouldn’t pack his entire collection. So he picked out just a few, and returned the rest to his closet. He needed the space, after all. He figured he should perchance set out all the things he wanted to bring so he could physically see it all in front of him, and that would help him figure things out. So without hesitation, he went about gathering all his things to make his choices a little simpler. 

Logan now had everything laid out, covering his bedroom floor. He could see a few essentials that he knew he would need, including his tooth brush, toothpaste and Agatha Christie novels. So he packed them into his case, and took another look around. There were so many things that he could see that could be most helpful. He decided his ballpoint pens and notebooks would make sense to bring, so he put them into the suitcase as well. His textbooks were too big, and so was his human anatomy model. So he put those away in order to clear up a bit of space on his floor. He decided on bringing a pillow and blanket, as well as his unicorn onesie, but left behind his plush bear. He decided there was space for the calcified heart Remus had given him, so he wrapped it up and packaged it so it would not be damaged. He packed many more things into the case, some of which might earn him a few odd glances from the airport security, but he could explain it all with a few papers he packed. A good few of those papers might have been forged, but he didn’t remember. He shut the lid of his bulky case and held it shut as he strapped the lid, his luggage fighting back as if it were a person he was trying to kidnap. But it was a battle he won, and soon he was out the door, loading his pack into his car and promising himself that he wouldn’t procrastinate so much in future when he had places to be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there friends! Sorry this one's short, I hit some serious writer's block but I made a promise, so here it is. The unsymp is there, you just gotta squint and it looks vaguely unsympathetic I think! 
> 
> Well, have a nice day, friends.   
> \- Marsy


	4. Unsympathetic Virgil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Unsympathetic Virgil
> 
> Triggers: mentions of the "split", reliving memories
> 
> Summary: Remus really doesn't like people leaving him again.

After Roman had been taken to the light sides so long ago, Remus hadn’t dealt with people leaving too well. All the dark sides knew this, and they also knew about his clinginess. But a few cuddles weren’t too bad to deal with, if any of them were being honest. But the three of them had really become a nice family in the past few years, and the creative side couldn’t have been happier. Well, that was a teensy tiny lie. He would be happier if Roman was there. 

Remus was digging through the bathroom cupboard for a snack one day, humming the tune to some song by Justin Bieber when he noticed a grey hoodie walk past his peripheral. He poked his head around the door and saw Virgil headed off toward the door that no one ever touched. 

“Hey Virgin, what’cha doing?” he called, causing the anxious side to turn around with a bit of a jump. 

“Oh, hey Ree. I’m just heading to the mindscape for a bit.” he shrugged, bringing far too many repressed memories up to the front of Remus’ brain. 

“But why do ya wanna go there? They’re assholes!” he yelled, quickly snapping his mouth shut. He hadn’t meant to yell. 

“Geeze, you’re acting like I’m gonna leave forever. It’s kind of annoying.” the emo said, rolling his eyes. Remus could feel his shoulders drop whilst the joints didn’t actually break. 

“Sorry. I just don’t like it when you go places without telling, it scares me.” he apologised. Virgil groaned. 

“Come on, I can’t tell you every time I leave the home, you’re gonna have to live with it!” he complained. 

“But Virgin-” 

“Enough with that nickname, I hate that nickname! It’s no wonder Roman left you!” he snapped, interrupting the duke. He flinched and retracted his hand as he watched his friend turn and storm toward the pale coloured door. 

“I-” he couldn’t even think of a single thing to say. No half-assed insult, no religious innuendo, not even a phallic joke that he would be the only one chuckling at. He pulled the bathroom door shut and locked it, sliding down against it. He hugged his knees up to his chest, thinking about what Virgil just said, what Roman had said those years ago. He remembered clearly, standing at the door, watching his brother just turn his back on him and walk away, holding the hand of a light side. 

“Come on, let’s get away from that dark side.” the light side had said, and Roman had bought it. Why did he have to choose Patton over him? He realised now that he was crying. Tears were coming out in big ugly sobs, and he was getting his eyeball fluids and snot all over his outfit. He had spent so much time making that costume perfect, it was a shame. He remembered making it with Roman, they had gotten really competitive over who could make a better outfit. Of course, the duke had gotten quickly sidetracked with ruffles and sequins, but they had fun. And there was no denying Roman’s outfit of choice suited him perfectly. He wondered how his twin was doing nowadays, and if he even thought about him. By this point, he was sobbing so loudly he almost didn’t notice the loud, neat knocking at the door. 

“Remus, I won’t pick the lock if I have to.” Janus’ voice came from behind the door. He sniffed loudly and wetly, lifting his head out of the ball he had curled into. 

“What do you want, Janus?” he asked, his voice making it evident that he had been crying. 

“Well, what’s wrong wouldn’t be a decent starter. You always call me by my name.” the deceitful side said. He slid his head back. 

“Why don’t you ask Virgil?” he snapped. He needed a hug, but didn’t want to ask for it. 

“Maybe I won’t later.” Janus said, accompanied by the sound of the door unlocking. He attempted to shuffle out of the way as it opened, but mostly just fell over onto his side, rocking like an egg as he stayed in the same position. He couldn’t help but smile just a little bit to himself as the snake side pulled him into a five-armed hug, the sixth hand running its fingers through his hair. He liked the touch. 

“Don’t listen, Remus. I won’t never leave you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry this one's a bit late but I wanted it to be as good as I could get it for y'alls. I hope you enjoyed this piece, again! See you all tomorrow!
> 
> \- Marsy


	5. Vanish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Vanish 
> 
> Triggers: ankle injury, bone mentions 
> 
> Summary: Logan finds a new place to explore and document, and Roman recognises this place all too well.

Logan was the inquisitive type. He liked to explore and learn about the world around him, and it was something that Roman admired. Today, Logan had wandered quite far from the group’s home in the forest, and found a very open space. The blades of grass were absolutely huge here, and a lush green. The sprite ran his slender hand along one of the blades, absolutely awe-struck by how soft and smooth it felt, and how bright in colour it was. 

“Roman, feel this!” he called, almost chuckling with excitement. The shorter sprite ran over, dodging a stick at one point, and soon reached his companion. He ran his own fingers along it. 

“I’ve never felt a blade of grass so smooth! What variety is it?” he asked, unable to take his hand away. 

“I’m not certain, nothing I’ve ever encountered. I will have to write about this!” Logan responded, shakily fumbling around his little bag for his notebook. He found it and located a pencil, and began noting everything he noticed about it down. He tore the edge of it a bit and felt the moist dew inside of it, noting that down as well. 

“This place is huge, Logan! Think of the adventures we could have!” Roman marvelled, leaping atop another blade of the wonderful, strange grass. He stood tall, well, as tall as he could, and gazed around at the place. He could spot flowers of so many colours, and even his favourite red ones were there! There was a ladybird meandering through the clearing, and he could so clearly see the sky, which was a beautiful shade of blue, with wispy clouds floating through it. As he turned his gaze around, he noticed a large structure. It was made of neatly hewn reddish rocks, and had a huge wooden door. He knew exactly what this was from personal experience, and he slid down his blade, landing gracefully on the dirt. He hurried back over to Logan, who was drawing a sketch of his blade. 

“Logan, I think we shouldn’t go much further than this.” he said, regaining his breath. The spectacled sprite looked up from his drawing. 

“What do you mean? We still have much to explore.” he asked, pushing his square glasses back up his nose. 

“I know, but I saw a human house over there, and we both know how dangerous humans can be. So why don’t we explore elsewhere?” he suggested, running a hand through his hair the way he did when nervous. Logan pursed his lips. 

“We won’t go too close to it then. The humans who live there shouldn’t notice us if we stay hidden, they cannot see through things.” he said, continuing his sketch. Roman groaned and put a hand on his dagger. He was proud of it, he had used a thorn from his favourite red flowers for the blade and a pine-needle for the handle, then held it together with sap and flax fibres. He liked to carry it with him for safety, of both him and Logan. Logan wasn’t very adept at fighting or self-defence, so Roman gladly filled the role, having trained himself with his dagger. He pulled it out of the sheath in his belt, and tossed it in his hand carelessly. 

“There we are!” Logan said triumphantly as he proudly held up his finished sketch. Roman looked over at it and couldn’t help but grin, it really was a perfect copy. 

“It’s one of your finest!” he chuckled as the taller sprite closed his notebook and returned it to his bag. 

“Why, thank you. Now which way should we go next?” he asked to himself, climbing atop a blade of grass. Roman followed him up, shuddering as he once again saw the Human house. He honestly wished Logan would listen to his warnings, especially since he knew exactly which human occupied that place. Unfortunately though, some of the best, most interesting flowers were close to the house, and there was no talking Logan out of something once he got the idea in his head. He was stubborn like that. Logan climbed down the blade carefully and began making his way toward the brightly coloured flowers, with Roman following closely behind him. It was rare to see Logan run, but whatever interesting things he had seen apparently excited him so much that he just had to get there as fast as he could. 

By the time they finally stopped, they were so close to the human house that Roman could see the texture on the walls. He had to keep an eye out, it was all he could do after not being able to talk Logan out of going near. Fortunately, it didn’t seem he would be moving closer for a while, as he had found a very interesting yellow flower to record. Roman, however, was sitting behind a leaf, watching Logan carefully in case anything tried to harm him whilst he was so enthralled by his studies. It was always a chore for him to sit still, but he managed when his task was this important. He watched as his companion moved from flower to flower, excitedly flipping through his notebook, recording new flora and matching flowers to other flowers that he had documented. Logan seemed to have spotted something now that was out of Roman’s view, so he moved to see what the sprite was so excited about. He had found something on the platform in front of the human house, and was headed for it. Roman knew exactly what that was. 

“Logan, be careful! That’s a trap!” he yelled, but he didn’t hear and kept b-lining toward it. He climbed up and peeked inside, where sat a colourful peony. Roman ran as fast as his legs could take him, but couldn’t get there in time. Logan had picked up the peony and the trap slammed shut, the little lock mechanism snapping down. Roman bounded up and grabbed the lock, trying to pull it up, but it was quite stuck. He pulled with all his might whilst Logan watched, clearly trying to not appear worried. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t warn you earlier, I’ll get you out.” he said, trying to keep his breathing under control as he took his dagger out and tried to use it to pry the trap open. It was shut to tight that the thorn just bended and broke. He threw the handle to the ground in frustration, looking for another thing to use to get it open. The entire thing was a strong metal weave, so there was no smashing it. He couldn’t see anything directly nearby, so he would have to look elsewhere, which meant leaving his companion alone. 

“I’ll be back.” he said, turning and leaping off the platform. He landed harshly on his foot, which made an unsettling crunch sound and his eyes swam with pain. But he had to protect Logan from the human in that house, so he had to hurry. He pulled himself back onto his feet, almost collapsing again as the pain shot through his ankle. He bit down on his tongue to help distract himself as he headed in a random direction to find something to help. He couldn’t find anything that would be stronger than his dagger was, when he heard the sound of the door opening and pounding footsteps coming out onto the platform. He looked back and saw the human rushing toward the trap. He tried to run toward it again to protect Logan, but collapsed on his agonising ankle injury. He pulled himself up in time to watch the human carry his companion inside the house to face the same fate as his twin brother Remus, his ex-partner Virgil, even Patton’s little brother Janus. The fate Roman had narrowly escaped, but watched Remus suffer. As he imagined Logan on that board with his limbs pinned out spread-eagle as he slowly died of hunger, he couldn’t hold a brave face anymore and everything came out. He bawled as he thought about how he couldn’t save his companions, and finally had the chance to properly mourn his twin. He could not even begin to imagine how Patton held a cheerful manner after his little brother vanished, he knew the sprite was devastated, as well as the most emotional of them all. He was known to cry over tiny ladybug babies that were just too small. That was how everyone in the group learned humour was his coping mechanism. But Roman didn’t have any such thing, he just ignored his sadness in hopes that no one would notice. If someone found him now though, they would most certainly notice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there guys, I finally got another chapter out! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while, I forgot to let y'alls know I was going on holiday and didn't have access to my laptop, so I couldn't write anything. I'll try make up for all those missed days as quickly as possible, and I'll make them as good for you guys as I possibly can. 
> 
> Sorry again, 
> 
> \- Marsy


	6. Mind Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Mind Control
> 
> Triggers: dislocation, mind control (as implied by the title) Remus being Remus. Also there's a point in which Remus swears, just a note. 
> 
> Summary: Remus is proud about talking back to Virgil. He won't be proud for long.

Remus was feeling proud of himself. Scared for his life, but proud of himself. He had talked back to Virgil for the first time in years, and he had to admit, it felt great! Sure, he’d probably get locked in a small, dark room for a few days again, being left with nothing but his worst thoughts and no food and a loud sound every so often meaning he wouldn’t be able to sleep for that time, and sure that was probably the worst thing he had ever been through, and SURE it left him terrified of Virgil for the next forever, and SURE he was physically terrified of doors being shut, but hey, he felt confident for the first time in years and it would be worth it! He was now in his side of the imagination, sitting in his treehouse, drawing and enjoying the feeling for as long as he could, so he could properly enjoy himself for once. He took a moment to look at his drawing, and decided that it didn’t need colours, the concept was there and he liked it! He took it to the wall and nailed it to the semi-rotted, mildewy wooden planks. Of course, the damp, splintery wood could probably hold the picture up on its own, but the nails just added to the feel of the treehouse that he loved. After stepping back to admire his work, he decided to head back out to his balcony to get some more inspiration. He stepped out, listening to the loud creak the floorboards made, and leaned on the wonky railing. He was pretty proud of his forest, it contrasted Roman’s bright fantasy world quite nicely and the sulfur smell meant none of his brother’s creations wanted to go near his territory. The sky on his side was a sickly yellow and the trees were twisty and scraggly, and only a select few sides could navigate it without getting lost or snagged or hurt. Remus was admittedly not one of those sides, but he had a special hidden passage that he had made for himself. He didn’t know if anyone had found his passage, but he guessed not, since no one ever visited him at his private places, like this treehouse. He looked over at his oddly thick, slimy lake, and noticed Azathoth was rather playful at the moment. The giant octopus flicked her tentacles around, taking out anything in her path and grabbing hold of whatever living thing came near her. He grinned and summoned himself a stool so he could take a seat and watch her antics, cheering and clapping enthusiastically whenever she caught some prey. She eventually began settling down, purring in contentment after her games. 

“Well done, Azzy!” he called loudly to her, giving her a standing ovation. She flicked a tentacle in his direction and purred happily in response. 

“She’s pretty excitable, huh?” Virgil’s voice came from next to him, causing him to jump in surprise. 

“Virgil! What-what brings you here?” he asked, obviously tying and actively failing to hide the shock and fear from his voice. The emo turned to him, his face completely serious. 

“I think you know. Come on, I’ve gotta teach you a lesson.” he said, taking a step toward him. Remus felt his blood run cold, which was a weird analogy considering his heart was pumping way faster, which meant more blood which in turn meant he should be feeling hot. But no, fear was a cold feeling. 

“I’m sorry, V-” 

“I don’t wanna hear it, now come on before I drag you!” he snapped, cutting the duke off before he could finish his statement. Shaking his head to get rid of the nervous thoughts that always came with Virgil, he looked the man in the eye, grinned and flipped double birds. 

“Fuck no!” he declared, his grin growing wider as he felt that surge of pride and confidence return. It quickly left him when he felt a firm blow to the jaw, which knocked him right over the railing and off the balcony. He heard a shrill scream as he tumbled to the ground, his elbow loudly popping out of place as he landed on it. He wished the screaming would stop, it wasn’t helping matters. Then he realised the sound was coming from his own mouth. He clamped his mouth shut, almost biting his tongue in two in an attempt to handle the intense pain from his elbow. 

“Huh. I guess that works too. Now let's get going or I’ll do it again.” he heard Virgil say, and he didn’t want worse to happen. He scrambled to his feet and held his injured arm to his chest, holding in another scream. He followed the side out of his imagination, and was ready to head to his room. At least in the room, no one could see him sobbing. But Virgil didn’t turn down the hall that led to his room. Instead, he kept heading straight. 

“Where are we going?” Remus choked out, still trying to hold back tears and the odd scream of pain. Virgil didn’t answer, which scared him more. He had no idea what was going to happen. They eventually headed into a door, and the room they entered was small. It had no windows, but a single television screen and a chair facing it. The chair was fully metal and had straps on it. He turned to Virgil, who just nodded toward the chair, motioning for him to sit on it. With his heart pounding fast and hard, he headed to the chair and sat down. His left arm was pulled onto the armrest and his wrist was strapped down, and Virgil moved on to his right. His hurt arm. The man showed no mercy as he strapped the other wrist down, pulling his elbow in a painful angle as he did so. He screamed again, but quickly silenced himself. Virgil never liked it when he opposed him in any way, and that included calling for help. That was a lesson he learned quickly. His legs were also strapped down to the chair, followed by his torso and neck. Virgil then left the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. He was left alone, completely immobile in the dark room for a good minute, and he was beginning to think this was just the room again but without the pleasure of movement, when he heard the sound of static followed by Virgil’s voice. 

“Listen, you never seem to learn your lesson so I’m making sure you never forget. Enjoy the show.” the side said as the television turned on, filling the room with a soft glow. Images began flashing across the screen so fast he couldn’t seem to make any of them out, and a weird noise came out of the speaker. He felt himself growing increasingly exhausted, though he didn’t know why, and his thoughts were growing fuzzy and really hard to make out. He was getting weirdly relaxed, and felt really tired. It was getting harder and harder to stay awake, but he figured he probably shouldn’t sleep. Now was not a good time to sleep. He tried to pull on his right arm in hopes that the pain would keep him awake, but he was so, so tired that he could hardly move. He realised he was completely helpless as the world finally faded to a sluggish blur. After that, he never escaped that blur. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again, guys! What do y'alls think of this one? I'm a bit proud of it (if you'll pardon that) but after all, I am also writing it for y'alls to enjoy. 
> 
> Have a great day, 
> 
> \- Marsy


	7. Unsympathetic Roman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Unsympathetic Roman
> 
> Triggers: the stuff that comes with being transformed into a porcelain doll against one's will, joint pain, there's a bit of non-consential undressing but it's not explicit. 
> 
> Summary: Janus goes on a quest with Roman, and things go wrong. Also there's a wizard.

Janus hadn’t expected any sort of thing that would physically affect him when he agreed to go on this quest with Roman. Truth be told, he had mostly just agreed to come as he was always the last Roman asked to quest with him, and he was bored anyways. He figured he may as well entertain the prince for a few hours. But here was a wizard, and an apparently violent one at that, but Roman didn’t seem to be making a move to do anything about this wizard. And Janus? He was certainly the least qualified to fight anyone, let alone a wizard. He was definitely on the thin side, the shortest side around even with his hat on, had no fighting ability and not to mention, his scales were incredibly sensitive. He was the type who had to wear thimbles on all fingers when sewing, so there was no way he could fight. He nudged Roman’s arm in an attempt to get him to do something about this. The prince still did nothing, so he cleared his throat. 

“Roman, maybe you  **shouldn’t** do something?” he suggested. The prince rolled his shoulders and gripped his sword. 

“You’re right.” he said before he ran toward the wizard, who was still busy monologuing. The deceptive side began moving slowly, as to not draw attention to himself, out of direct magick firing range. But he didn’t get away fast enough. A stray burst of magick hit him directly in the neck, and for a few seconds, it appeared it would do nothing. This was the imagination after all, and Roman’s creations were designed not to hurt sides. But this wizard was different. His skin grew increasingly colder as it spread, hardening and growing brittle. Roman was busy fighting and did not seem to notice. Janus could do nothing but watch as his skin grew paler until it was white and shiny, his scales sinking into it until they were nothing but paintwork. Then the transformation went deeper than skin. This wasn’t expected, his limbs were growing stiff and near impossible to move. As he was about to call for help, his jaw stiffened and solidified, rendering him silent as his extremities became solid porcelain as well. His eyes and lips faded into paint just as his scales had, leaving him unable to blink. He could still see and hear everything around him, and he could still feel everything, but he couldn’t move. He was stuck on the spot, watching as Roman defeated the wizard and finally turned around. His expression was unreadable as he caught sight of Janus and ran over, sliding his sword into its sheath. 

“Oh my, he actually hit you! Look at you!” he said, taking his porcelain hand and bending the wrist joint. His wrists were not meant to band back that far, and it hurt, but he could not say anything. 

“You look almost flawless, but I won’t be able to carry you back at that size, you’re far too big.” the prince said, releasing his hand but leaving it at that painful angle. It would be much less effort if Roman would just change him back, he knew he could do that. He had seen him do it. The prince took a step back from him and made a smooth hand gesture, and that was when he felt himself shrinking. The feeling of his limbs compressing was incredibly uncomfortable, he decided that he really shouldn’t have come along on this quest. But then again, if this had happened to Roman and he wasn’t there, no one would likely find him for days. But he had made his decision a few hours ago, and this was just what ended up happening. The re-sizing finally stopped, and he now only reached up to Roman’s knees. He decided he would never complain about being shoulder-height again. The side picked him up, something that felt arguably more humiliating than being held bridal-style by Virgil who took him back to his room, looked after him and dealt with his drunken ramblings of how pretty Logan was after he had drunk one too many bottles of wine out of stress. Although, he didn’t really remember that too well. He was completely wasted during all that after all. Roman carried him back through the imagination and through the door that marked the border of the mindscape. This particular door led directly to Roman’s own bedroom, and directly faced the other door. The other door didn’t lead anywhere particularly interesting, just the hallway. The prince placed him on the bed and made sure both doors were closed before returning, a grin on his face. Janus really didn’t like where this was going. 

“You know, I think you look absolutely perfect like this.” Roman said, picking up the side again. He walked over to a corner of the room that he wasn’t able to see before, and if he was honest, he hadn’t missed much. It was a chest of drawers with an empty display case on top of it. Roman opened a drawer and pulled out a neatly folded garment made of yellow fabric. 

“I think this one will look nicer on you than what you have on.” he said, sitting on the floor and placing the garment down. He took Janus’ cloak and shoes off, but didn’t stop there. He fully undressed the porcelain side and took the garment, unfolding it. It was a frilly yellow sundress. He slipped it over Janus’ head and pulled his arms into the sleeves, and buttoned up the front. Roman picked him up and admired his work, chuckling to himself. 

“There, you look absolutely flawless.” he said, reaching the other hand toward the display case. He opened the glass door and Janus knew exactly what was going to happen. The worst thing was, he couldn’t do anything about it. Roman put him inside the case and closed the door, sliding the latch down. 

“I forgot to mention that the spell will wear off in about a week, whoops!” he said, his voice muffled by the case. He then stood up and turned, leaving the room, leaving Janus alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again, guys! 
> 
> Wow, three pieces in one day, at this rate we'll have caught up in no time! I really had to dig through the FilesTM to find a concept I was happy with, but I think this one really did turn out nicely. But what do you guys think? 
> 
> Thanks for the support,   
> \- Marsy

**Author's Note:**

> I'd say we're off to a brilliant start already! Day one and I've already used my first prompt to hurt my snake boy. Well, have a nice day!
> 
> \- Marsy


End file.
